Hera's Mistake
by Zero Dark Thirty
Summary: What if Hera's plan goes horribly wrong? What if she accidentely does not wipe all of his memory? What if all he remembers is that Romans are evil and his resentment towards the gods? This is what could have happened. This, is that story.
1. Chapter 1

Everything was quiet... Too quiet. The silence was really starting to get on Percy's nerves. He didn't know how he knew, yet he sensed a great power approaching, good or bad, he knew not. Finally the earth in front of him started to bubble and churn, and something started to rise out of it.

He instinctively reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen. The pen didn't look like much, just a cheap regular ballpoint, but when Percy uncapped it, it grew into a glowing bronze sword. The blade balanced perfectly. The leather grip felt like it was made for him. Etched on the guard was an Ancient Greek word that Percy somehow understood: Anaklusmos, riptide.

He'd woken up with the sword last night, in the middle of an abandoned shack in the woods, wearing shorts, an orange T-Shirt, and a leather necklace with a bunch of strange clay beads. Riptide had been in his hand, but Percy had no idea how he had gotten there. And only the vaguest possible idea who he was. He'd been barefoot, freezing and confused. And that's when the wolves came.

They had come, one by one, until he had a half circle of fierce wolves all looking at him. Finally, one of them, the largest, with a chocolate brown coat and red eyes lunged in his direction, jaw open, teeth glistening. Smoothly he slid to one side and bashed the wolf in the head with the hilt of the sword. How the Hades had he done that? Wait a minute... What the hades? Is that a normal expression? He didn't think so... He put that idea away for later as he was forced to bring his attention back to the fight as the wolf charged him again. This time, he ducked underneath the wolf as it jumped at his head. He spun around, ready to strike the wolf with his sword but before he could, a loud voice rang out into his head.

"Enough!" He heard the voice yell. He looked around for the owner of the voice, yet saw no one. As his eyes continued to dart around the room he heard a sigh. "Where are you! Show yourself!" Percy demanded as he quickly retreated and put his back against a fallen wall.

"You do realize we are right in front of you right? Your battle skills and instincts are good young one. You might be good enough to live and make it to the roman camp."

"But there is no one there but the ... Oh. Are you the wolf?"

"Yes"

"Oh great. Talking wolves, magic swords... I must be dreaming, he said sarcastically, as he put riptide away.

This evoked a growl from the wolf. "I can assure you that you are not dreaming. I am Lupa, the roman goddess of wolves. We do not appreciate you mocking our pack."

"Okay okay, I get it, don't make fun of you. You guys are no fun" he pouted. "Wait..."His head snapped up "you said roman..." Instantly his sword was back in his hand and pointing at the goddess.

"I advise you put that away boy, before my pack decides it wants dinner. As she said this all the wolves crouched and began to growl at him.

"But you said Roman. The Romans are evil, they have tried to destroy us before." "

"Show some respect to your betters pup..." Lupa growled in an angry tone.

Percy responded with a cheeky " I only give respect to those who have earned it from me, and you have not. Besides, why should I listen to you? You are a roman, they try to kill Greeks."

"Boy" came from a very irritated goddess. "You are trying my patience sorely" in response Percy just crouched and waved his hand in a "bring it on motion." This was the last straw for Lupa. "I give you one more chance boy, to stop this foolishness and listen to me".

"And do what" He responded. "Just lay down my sword and listen to the gods, who say I should be "honored" to defend them, those who have done nothing but ruin my life?" The sky rumbled overhead. "Yeah yeah to Tartarus with you too Zeus, Jupiter, whatever the hades your name is." This caused the earth to rumble and the shadows grow darker. "Oh come on hades, it was an accident". The shadows stopped, yet the earth kept shaking.

Lupa stumbled, and then stiffened. Suddenly her eyes turned from red to dirt brown. Percy frowned "what..." His voice trailed off as all the wolves eyes changed color, then they all turned around and left. "Well that was unexpected." He capped his sword. But froze. Everything was silent. Too quiet.

Suddenly the earth started to nipple and churn. He sensed great power coming from... Something nearby. As something started to rise out of the earth, he drew his sword. Whatever it was kept rising until it was about 10 feet

tall, then it stopped. It looked like a woman with her eyes closed, as if she was sleeping. Her body seemed to be made of dirt, leaves and twigs. As she raised her head in his direction he pointed riptide at her and said steadily "who or what are you".

"Why can't you tell" she responds in a mocking tone of voice. "Think of your mythology Perseus"

It slowly dawns on him "you... your Gaea, the primordial of earth. Why are you here?"

"Yes. I am. As to why I'm here..." She smiles which looks weird on a sleeping face. "I'm here to offer you a deal."


	2. Chapter 2 The Deal

Chapter 2

A/N The hero in the Stars will have priority as it is the far more popular one, however, this WILL be updated regularly, just not as fast as The Hero In the Stars

Song I'm listening to "Made in America" Toby Keith

Somewhere in Northern California-

Last Time

Suddenly the earth started to ripple and churn. He sensed great power coming from... Something nearby. As something started to rise out of the earth, he drew his sword. Whatever it was kept rising until it was about 10 feet

tall, then it stopped. It looked like a woman with her eyes closed, as if she was sleeping. Her body seemed to be made of dirt, leaves and twigs. As she raised her head in his direction he pointed riptide at her and said steadily "who or what are you".

"Why can't you tell" she responds in a mocking tone of voice. "Think of your mythology Perseus"

It slowly dawns on him "you... your Gaea, the primordial of earth. Why are you here?"

"Yes. I am. As to why I'm here..." She smiles which looks weird on a sleeping face. "I'm here to offer you a deal.

Percy POV

I point my sword at Geae, desperately trying to understan what she means. "Deal? As far as I remember, which admittedly isnt much, is that you are evil, and are trying to destroy the gods."

"Well, partial credit. I am trying to wake up, not necessarily destroy the gods. Look at the world around you. Haven't the gods excelled at messing up and making the world worse? They attack me because they are afraid of my power, not because I intend to overthrow them."

Trying to to keep the fear out of my voice, I respond. "Let's assume for the moment you are telling the truth. If you are, why are you here?" She responded with another smirk plastered in her face.

"Why, I am here for you. I heard about your exploits in the Tian war. In actually rather surprised. A mere demigod like you going toe to toe with Kronos? Extremely impressive."

Percy shuffled his feet awkwardly. "It was a team effort. And it was Luke who was the real hero."

"And humble too! That is a very rare trait for a demigod to have. Anyway, the gods are going to try to fight my rising, and I would rather not have you as an enemy."

"So what?" I respond, riptide still held in her direction. "You came to kill me?"

Gaea sighed in exasperation. "I swear on the Styx that no matter what happens here I will not kill, capture, or injure you in any way while I am here. Happy?"

I slowly lower my sword. "Better. Although you still haven't answered my question on why you are here."

"Oh, how absentminded of me" was the response. "I don't want the gods to convince you to fight me, so I would like for you to remain neutral. The gods have only ever used you for their own ends. Even at the reward ceremony, you used your wish to fix errors that never should have existed. It is ridiculous that Hestia and Hades weren't on the council."

The more I thought about it, the more sense Gaea's arguments made. Even after all I did for them, the gods still voted on wether to kill me. Poseidon had left me alone and didn't protect my mother. Zeus constantly killed the lovers and children of his brothers just for petty spite and fear of their power. Hera wasn't much better., plus she had kidnapped him and put him to sleep for severel months. Athena was biased and proud. Ditto for Artemis. Dionysus was a useless old drunk. Ares was arrogant, boastful, and easily swayed. Aphrodite was a slut. 'Nough said. Demeter... well, didn't really have anything against her, except her obsession with cereal. Hephaestus felt the need to protect a bunch of junk and killed one of my friends. Apollo cursed Halcyon Green just because he tried to save others. Hermes just stood by while his sons childhood was scared by a mother gone mad. I finally decided to speak "while the gods aren't perfect, they are better than the other alternatives."

"Are they?" Gaea mused. "I wonder if you will still think so after you see this." She waved a hand and a giant flatscreen TV appeared and flickered to life. "I swear on th Styx that what you are about to see actually happened while you were sleeping." On screen, an image came on. It showed Annabeth and Butch, the son of Iris, with three demigods that he did not recognize. It looked like they were flying through the clouds, on a chariot with angry storm clouds behind them. One of them-he could now see it was a Ventus-lunged forward, hitting the wheel and sending the chariot plummeting to the ground. After a painful looking crash landing, it appeared as if the demigods were on a ranch. Suddenly a flash of light alerted them to the fact a goddess was near. "Lady Hera" most of the demigods exclaimed and bowed. Annabeth however was the lone exception. She marched up to Hera and got right in her face. "Where is Percy! You kidnapped him and lied to me about finding him!"

Hera looked rather unperturbed. "I never said you would find him I said you would find a clue. As for kidnapping him, well, it was necessary."

"Did you have the approval of the council?" Hera's silence was enough of an answer. "How dare you! You steal him away from me without even having the approval of the other Olympians? You lying, nagging, ugly, traitorous bitch!" Annabeth ranted as she spat at Hera's feet. Hera's eyes glowed with flame. "You go too far!" She bellowed as she snapped her fingers and a herd of cattle stamped from the direction of the ranch, trampling Annabeth into the dirt. As the dust clears, Annabeth's mangled and broken body can be seen lying in the dust.

"Annabeth!" Butch yelled as he ran forward and felt for a pulse. There was none. He looked up. "You murderer!".

The TV dissolved. Percy felt numb inside.

"Now do you see?" Gaea asked. "If you agree to stay neutral, I will not only give you a new home beyond the gods control, but since I control the doors of death, I can give you back Annabeth as well."

At this Percy's head snapped up. But before he could say anything Gaea continued.

As an additional sweetener, I will even obliterate your demigod scent so no monsters can find you. Do you agree?" She knew she had him.

Percy spent a minute thinking, and then nodded slowly. "I agree."

The last thing he heard as the world dissolved around him was Gaea's voice.

"Excellent..."


	3. Chapter 3 The Missing Heroes

A/N this chapter was so fun to write. Just imagining Zeus' reaction makes me laugh.

Location: The Olympic Throne Room.

 **Artemis POV**

I was out on the trail of a monster with my hunters, when a giant holographic peacock feather filled a horizon. Hera's signal for an emergency. I turned to Thalia, in charge of my hunters while Zoe was away. "Keep hunting this monster. If a large quantity show up, do not engage. Clear?" She nodded and I flashed away.

 **Apollo POV**

I was in my sun chariot, with the radio blaring when a corner of my windshield lit up. I glanced at it. Hera's distress signal. Wait, what? She has never called an emergency meeting before. Never. With a grim face I flipped my red Maseratti Spyder to autopilot and flashed out.

 **Athena POV**

I was in the library when the call came through. I hit the button, opening the line. "Yes?"

Zeus' voice crackled over the loudspeaker. "Athena. Emergency meeting called by Hera. Throne room. Now." The call ended and my mind went into overdrive. What could hear be worried about? She didn't really concern herself with the demigod world except for... Oh no. With a sinking heart, I teleported to the Council meeting.

 **Hermes POV**

I had just finished another delivery when Martha spoke up. "Demeter has just left another 35 calls, 197 texts, and 83 emails asking where her fertilizer is." "Yeah and what about our snacks you promised!" George demanded. "I want my rats!"

I groaned. Calm down you two- I started to say before I was interrupted by my phone blaring Red alert! Red alert! Out loud. I took it out and glanced at it. I groaned. " _Another_ dull meeting? Really?" I though as I sped off.

 **Ares POV** (Didn't expect that did you?)

I was watching some mixed MMA cage matches. That stupid satyr-what was his name? Oh yes. Gleeson. I snorted mentally. What kind of satyr is named Gleeson? Anyway, he had gotten me hooked onto them. As the championship round started I leaned forward in anticipation. Then the screen changed to Hephaestus TV. "Calling all Olympian Gods. There is an emergency council meeting in 30 seconds." Cursing, I pressed record and ran out the door, strapping my broadsword to my back.

 **Zeus POV**

I sat on my throne, grim faced and solemn. One by one the thrones were filled, and I nodded to Hera. "My dear. I believed you have some urgent news to share with us?"

She nodded and stood up. "Earlier today, as you know, I took young Persues to the wolf house is California. Later, I felt a surge of energy there and thought nothing of it, thinking it was Percy's frustration at missing his memories. However, I went to talk to Lupa a few minutes ago. However, I found her and her entire pack sprawled on the ground, unconscious. Lupa remembered seeing Perseus and starting to talk to him. After that though... Nothing. I tried to find Percy but he was hidden from my sight."

At this the throne room exploded.

No ones POV

It seemed like the majority of the gods were in disbelief. Poseidon leaned forward in his chair. "You are saying my son, who you took without my knowledge or approval, has gone missing?"

Hera nodded in response.

Athena stood up from her throne, shouting. "I warned you. I said this was a bad idea. It left our greatest weapon and ally exposed. It was a grave tactical error and I _told_ you not to do it!

The rest of the gods were making a loud level of chatter in the room until Zeus slammed his master bolt into the floor. "Silence!" He turned to Hera. "So Lupa and her pack do not remember what happened?"

Again Hera nodded. "I would like to request Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, Athena and Ares search for him. If they can't find him, no one can."

At a nod from Zeus, the aforementioned gods flashed out to begin their search, while the council waited in tense silence.

Five minutes later...

One by one, the hunters came back. In answer to Zeus' cocked eyebrow and Poseidon's searching gaze was a simple head shake. Athena came back several minutes after the others, storming into the council room in full battle armor.

"You bunch of doddering old fools!" she yelled, slamming the butt of her spear into the ground. "Do you have any idea what you have done!" She screamed in Fury. She turned and raced up to Hera's throne, leveling the tip of her spear under her chin. "And you. What the _Fuck_ where you thinking!" She thundered.

The rest of the gods were shocked. Athena never cursed.

"Now now niece, I have no objection to taking Hera down a notch but could you tell us what has happened?"

"What happened? _What_ _happened_?" Athena yelled. What happened is that Hera killed my daughter, and because of that Gaea has convinced Percy to withdraw himself from the upcoming war!"

Dead silence filled the throne room.

Hera tried to defend herself. "Well she disrespected me..." She began before she was cut off by Athena slamming Aegis into her head.

Much of the watching audience winced in sympathy.

Posiedon tried again. "Could you tell us what happened?"

Athena never looked away from Hera. I'll do you one better. I'll show you. Hephaestus!"

At the promoting, said god waved his hand, causing a large TV to form in the middle of the room. Athena snapped her fingers, causing the interaction between Percy and Gaea to play on the screen. Once the recording was done, the gods slowly turned their furious gazes onto Hera, who tried to shrink into her seat.

Poseidon stood up, power swirling around him as he pulled out his trident. "You..."

"Brother, enough!" Hades yelled. "We must concentrate on finding Perseus before anything else happens."

The other gods nodded vigarously in agreement. They might not like Hera, but they did not want a furious Posiedon in the same room as them.

Zeus turned to Athena. "You and Artemis are in charge. I don't care how you do it, but find him." He turned to the room. "I expect you all to search for him. This is now your top priority. If we hope to even have a chance against Gaea, we need him." Everyone nodded in agreement as the gods began their search.

2 weeks later...

Athena rubbed her eyes blearily. She had gotten purge to no sleep since the search started on the table in front of her was a map of America, with little pushpins all over it. Artemis walked in. "My hunters and I have crisscrosses the continent. No sign of him." I nodded wearily. "There must be something we are missing. Wait a minute... Her head snapped up. Let's watch their conversation again." As we watched it, Athena paused it. Right there. Of course, no wonder we couldn't find him!" She ran back to the table.

"What? What is it?" Asked Artemis.

For an answer, Athena stabbed her finger at the map. "Remember? In their conversation she says home beyond the gods control. There are only two places that I can think of. One, Hawaii, which is ruled out because Gaea could not transport them there because it is an island and they would need an airplane. Son of Poseidon + airplane = trouble.

"And the other?"

"Oh, this one is a doozy. That would be Alaska, the land beyond the gods. We could not sense him because our godly powers have no effect there. If I had to guess, he would be on an island, if he is surrounded by water he can sense incoming visitors. That means any visitors with hostile intent would need to fly in. And if he has my duaghter with him, she will have thought of this too. Most likely they will have Ariel defenses set up as well. I say we bring this to the council and then ask Hecate if there is anything she can do about Alaska blocking our powers.

Artemis nodded. "Let's do it."

The two picked up the map and strode to the throne room, with a breakthrough at last.

In the council room...

As they entered, Zeus' voice boomed out at them. "Have you found anything?"

The duo nodded. "We think so." Artemis responded for the two of them.

After explaining their reasoning and proposed course of actions, the two waited for responses.

Zeus nodded. "Your reasoning seems sound" he said.

Athena spoke up. "I would recommend sending a quest first, as it will seem less confrontational. I would send some of those that have a long history with him. I would recommend Thalia, Nico and Grover.

Zeus nodded. "Alright. Hecate?" He called out loud. There was a flash of light as the goddess appeared. "Do you have any potions or spells that could sea with the lost of our powers in Alaska?"

The goddess of magic nodded. "I do. It won't give you your full powers but will make you about as strong as a minor god. But it does require a deposit of power from the user that will not regenerate for a year."

"Alright. We will use that as a last resort if we have to." He turned to Athena. "Gather the questers. They leave on the morrow! " He boomed as he flashed away. "Council dismissed!"

A/N I got some PM's saying my name

was too similar to some others so I changed it. Sorry bout that. See Ya later!

-Texas/Zero


	4. Chapter 4 The start of the Quest

**Nico POV**

I was training in the underworld when my dad flashed in, looking grim. "Son, I hate to ask you this, but the gods need you to go on a quest."

"Do I have to? I don't like listening to those windbags."

Hades chuckled. "Neither do i son. Neither do I. But yes you have to. You, Grover and Thalia are going to Alaska. You need to find Percy Jackson and his girlfriend and convince them to come help us."

At this Nico spun around. "What do you mean, find Percy? Where is he?"

Hades gave a weary sigh and took a seat. "It's a long story. But what happened is this. Hera called an emergency council. Then..."

Once the story was laid out for Nico, he sat back. "So you are saying that Percy Jackson, after being kidnapped and having his memories stolen _and_ having his girlfriend murdered, _and_ losing nine months of his life, doesn't want to help the gods? I don't blame him. Actually, I agree with him. There are very few gods that are helpful and that I respect. Hestia, Poseidon... You of course. If i had a choice I might actually join him."

"Nico, I know how you feel about this. But we need him. Please go find him and bring him back."

I heaved a sigh. "Fine. But don't expect me to be happy about it. Where do I go."

The lord of the underworld beamed. "I'll send you there. And son... I'm sorry for asking this of you." As he spoke, he flicked his wrist and Nico was engulfed by a shadow and disappeared.

 **Thalia POV**

I was just finishing a hunt with my sisters when Artemis flashed in. As all the hunters bowed, she waved her hand in dismissal. "Thalia, I need to talk to you. Phoebe, your in charge. As she turned she beckoned me. I ran after her, and as soon as we were out of earshot she turned around. "Thalia, I need you to go on a quest to find Percy."

"Why, what has the stupid seaweed brain done this time?"

"He has withdrawn from the Olympians side in this war."

"Why would he do that?" Thalia queried.

"What do you know about the Romans?"

"I have heard rumors of Roman demigods, ones wearing purple.

"Correct. There is in fact a camp for roman demigods across the country. Hera thought it would be a great idea to kidnap perch, wipe his memory, and send him to the Romans to act as a bridge between the sides. She did this, might I add, without the permission of the Olynpian council. Well... There were a few complications."

After she finished explaining the whole story, Thalia exploded. "That bitch Hera! How dare she!"

"My reaction exactly. She may have doomed us all. So now you see why it so imperative that you find and bring Percy back."

"I'll do it. When do we leave?"

"Now." Artemis stated as she grabbed Thalia's shoulder and flashed her away.

 **Grover POV**

I had just dismissed a meeting of the council of Cloven Elders. Then Dionysus showed up. "Gus, I need you to join a quest"

"For what, Mr. D?"

"We, as in the gods, need you to join a quest to find Percival Johansson. It seems my idiotic mother Hera-as he said this thunder rumbled overhead- has decided to make a plan with out the gods approval. You see, it was supposed to go like this..."

As soon as he was done I made my decision instantly. "I'm in. Where are the others?"

"If I had to guess Gustav, that Tania girl and Nickoli should be here in a moment."

As he finished speaking Thalia was flashed in and Nico was thrown out of a shadow- straight into a a pool of water. He helped as he fell in. "Dad!"

The rest found were busy laughing to hard to help him as he slowly slugged his way out onto land. "Stop laughing! It's not funny!"

The rest of us looked at each other then back to him. "Yes. Yes it is." we said as a group.

"Anyway, here you go." Mr.D snapped his fingers and three backpacks appeared. "This should contain what you need. I will transport you to the border of Alaska, but then you're on your own. Got it?"

"Got it"

He waved his hand and we slowly vanished, leaving the smell of grapes behind.

 **Thalia POV**

"Well, I guess we're here." I said staring at the sign that said "You are now leaving Canada" and "Welcome to Alaska" I shifted the backpacks position on my shoulders. "Well, let's go. I need to go beat some sense into his head." Then we turned and crossed the border.

We were now beyond the help of the gods.


	5. Chapter 5 See below, ran out of room

Chapter 5 What about no trespassing is so hard to understand?

 **I will be posting my minyrant from my other story at the end of this chapter. You have been warned.**

Location: Alaska

Thalia POV

I continued to trudge through the woods, cursing Percy every step of the way. Why did he make his house so hard to find? We knew he was likely on one of the Aleutian Islands, but there were so many. We had been searching for five days, and had searched several islands, but not a trace had been found. I could not appreciate the quiet beauty of the woods over the complaining of my companions. That was when Nico decided to be helpful.

"Hey Thalia? Is there a chance that he could have told someone where he lives? I mean, he has to have food delivered to him if he's on a island right?" That was the first useful thing he had said or done on this quest so far.

I nodded. "it's possible." I said. "When we get back to Juno, let's call the supermarkets to see if they deliver food to anyone in particular. That's better then what we are doing. This approach is taking too long and at this rate we will never find him."

I entered the phone booth and opened the directory while Nico and Grover waited outside. I picked up the phone and started dialing. But the idea seemed doomed. Randall's, target, and Kroger all said they did not deliver. Amazon and Sam's club refused to disclose information on clients. Finally, the systematic calling proved useful, as we got something from Walmart. According to them they delivered to the pier on Kodiak island for a man named "Perry Johnson". Hmmm... That was very close to Percy Jackson. And, if my memory serves, that was a name he had been called by Dionysus once. I left the phone booth and grabbed my two partners.

"I think I found him. Walmart delivers to a man named Perry Johnson on Kodiak island. I think that's him. Good idea Nico. I think we should approach by water. If he is smart he will have some kind of anti-air defense set up, and if we come by water he might recognize us and not attack us."

Nico nodded. "Thanks. I agree, and I call being duffer!"

Grover and I stared at him. He sighed. "It means I carry all the luggage. I'm a son of hades, there is no way I am driving a boat on Posiedons domain."

Thalia glared. "But we don't have any luggage."

Nico smirked. "Exactly."

"But I'm Zeus' daughter. I can't drive a boat any more than you can. And I doubt Grover knows how!"

Nico snapped his fingers and a skeleton appeared. "I know what we can do. Jules" Here he addressed the skeleton. "Can you pilot a boat?" The skeleton nodded. "Great! There, problem solved. Now let's go. We have a quest to finish.

 **Some time later...**

After an eventful encounter, involving an old hippie, an exploding gas can, and a pool noodle fight with an 83 year old grandma (long story) we finally managed to arrive at the pier with a (somewhat) intact motor boat. We stepped ashore and put our hands on our weapons. Not that the scenery was intimidating, it wasn't. The forest was beautiful and the scent of pine was in the air. The trees were the exact opposite of foreboding. Yet something felt different... And dangerous. Everyone felt it. Nico stepped in the direction of the woods and read a sign.

"It says that that this is private property, and any trespassers will be forcefully evicted, and/or injured." He looked at us. "This _is_ Percy we are talking about right?"

I shrugged. "He's bluffing."

Nico took a step towards the woods... Then froze in midstride. "Hit the deck!" He yelled as he hurled himself away. We did as he said, and not a moment too soon. There was a click, and then it looked like part of the beach exploded. A giant cloud of sand filled the air, stinging and suffocating everyone within reach. When the cloud settled, we looked ahead. Where there had been a pristine beach, was now a giant hole in the ground.

Grover was the first to recover. "Land mines? He planted _land mines_? Those could have killed us!"

I shook my head. "In Percy's defense, he did post a warning. And I don't think that would have killed us, the exsplosion wasn't big enough. It felt more intended to harm and produce a factor of both shock and the fact that he is serious. We have to be careful." I lead the way inland, watching where I was stepping. As soon as we enters the innocent looking fires, things got even harder. With the dappled shadows on the forest floor, and the leaves that had fallen from the canopy, there were disguises for snares everywhere. And whoever had set the had used them to their full advantage. A blunt bear trap got Grover, and we had to waste time to free him. I got caught in a net with iron weights attached. Nico fell into a pit trap. Then there were the darts that came flying at us. After we got past that and the tripwires, we wondered straight into a bunch of boxing glove tipped arrows. Finally I lost it. "How many traps did he put out here!" I yelled in frustration, disarming the knockout gas trap under a pile of leaves.

Grover shook his head. "I don't know. But we can't get through much more of this."

Finally, stiff, sore and covered in bruises, we neared the edge of the forest. Then there was a low growl, and we caught a glimpse of fiery red eyes in the shadows. This was our undoing. When we were distracted, suddenly the world turned upside down untill we were hanging from our ankles. The growl returned untill we saw a group of hellhounds, some of them massive, looking at us. "Mrs. O' Leary, down girl."

Rang out a familiar voice. Percy Jackson strolled into our views, a crossbow slung over his shoulder. He leaned against a tree, staring at us. "Well well, what do we have here? You guys are lucky your not dead right now. We disabled most of the more deadly traps. If Anabeth didn't still feel a kinship with you Thalia, you three would be dead now. So," He took out his crossbow and aimed it at us. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

 **A/N** **Omega Alpha Hydra, I picked my name for two reasons. One, because it sound cool. Beginning of Rant. Two, because to me, the aftermath of 9/11 was the last time America got behind anything worthwhile. I personally think American society is in a bad place right now. What with all these rich people raising a fuss about abortion, and gay people, and black lives matter. I do not believe in abortion. I believe in natural conception until natural death. If you kill a unborn baby, you are commiting an act of murder. I am a Catholic, and proud of it. I belive those who back the black lives matter movement are either ignorant blacks or people who refuse to see the truth. I have nothing against blacks, some of my best friends are blacks, but I find the "cops are targeting black men" ridiculous. Take Micheal brown in ferguson. He attacked and almost killed a police officer. After he had just robbed a store down the street. The cop shot to kill. I support that. If you fight a cop, you get what you deserve. And there was no reason for the days of rioting that cost millions of dollars in damages. If the founding fathers saw America today, they would not recognize it for its values.**


	6. Chapter 6 Chock full o' References

Kodiak island

 _Last time_

Finally, stiff, sore and covered in bruises, we neared the edge of the forest. Then there was a low growl, and we caught a glimpse of fiery red eyes in the shadows. This was our undoing. When we were distracted, suddenly the world turned upside down untill we were hanging from our ankles. The growl returned untill we saw a group of hellhounds, some of them massive, looking at us. "Mrs. O' Leary, down girl."

Rang out a familiar voice. Percy Jackson strolled into our views, a crossbow slung over his shoulder. He leaned against a tree, staring at us. "Well well, what do we have here? You guys are lucky your not dead right now. We disabled most of the more deadly traps. If Anabeth didn't still feel a kinship with you Thalia, you three would be dead now. So," He took out his crossbow and aimed it at us. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

 _NOW_

Thalia POV

I glared at him, well, as best as i could while hanging upside down. "Why would you kill us? what did we ever do to you?"

"Do i really need to answer that? Completely ignoring that you work for the gods, who killed my girlfriend, kidnapped me, and wasted almost a year of my life. I'm not going back FYI. Nico got me locked in a cell with no air and almost killed me. You seem to have fun using me as a punching bag. Grover over there really hasn't done anything to tick me off. But then again, his incompetence did get my mom killed. If i let you down, i would guess you would try to punch/slap me, Nico would try to shadow travel, and Grover would torture our eardrums with some Barry Manilow. Does that sound accurate? I, even with my grievances, still am remaining neutral. That is, until someone bothers and/or threatens me. Then i will join the opposing side. Got it?"

Grover decided to break into the conversation. "Can you at least let us down so we can talk this over as civilized folk?"

He sighed. "Fine. But if i am attacked, i make no guarantees my hellhounds won't tear you to shreds." He cut the rope holding us up, causing us to all fall on our heads. I slowly sat up once the world stopped spinning.

"Oh, that hurt. Was that really necessary?"

He smirked. "No. But it was fun." He turned around and walked away. "Well?" He called over his shoulder. "I imagine you're going to try to persuade me aren't you? Come along."

We reluctantly followed him through the woods. I took a moment to look around and appreciate the beauty of nature. He really had picked a pretty place for his house. On a deserted island, with a beach and a forest, with a perfect view over the ocean. We finally, after a half hour walk, arrived at the foot of a cliff. He placed his hand a slab of metal inset in the stone, and placed his head so that he was looking into a small hole. A moment later, part of the cliff face slid back, revealing a stairway. We went up. And up. And up. At the top, we looked out and gasped. It was incredible. The sun was shining, the breakers were crashing on the beach below, the bird were singing, and the grass was perfectly manicured. It looked as if a celebrity estate had been transplanted to the top of the cliff. Then we saw the house. It was partially leaning out over the ocean. It looked exactly Tony Stark's estate in Iron Man three, before the Mandarin blew it up. But not everything was as it seemed. I saw some guard automatons with weapons and some rocket launchers cleverly disguised underneath some bushes. And... Was that a pillbox?

He lead us inside, as the door slid open, admitting us while releasing the smell of Lotus flowers. Percy laughed at the look on Nico's face. "Yes yes, i know. I took the same scent from the Lotus casino. I find it extremely calming. This way." He lead us down a hall and into what looked like a conference room. There were probably about fifteen to twenty chairs with high backs around the table. There were two chairs at the head of the table. Percy sat in one, while the other was facing away from us. It slowly turned around, revealing Annabeth petting a cat in her lap. She folded her hands and looks at us. "My name is Chase. Annabeth Chase." She cracks up and high fived Percy. "I have always wanted to do that. And their faces? It was priceless."

"Hey" Percy protested. "I want to do that to!" He picked up a radio. "Odion! Go to the nearest WalMart. I require a revolving chair and a kitten." He placed the radio down and looked at us. "Okay. Let's hear your sales pitch."

I went first. "Percy, why are you doing this? Yes, the gods aren't perfect, but Gaea is even worse. And she didnt make you swear on the styx. There are no consequences if you come back."

He held up a hand. "I'll stop you there. Not perfect? The gods are horrible. And i'm not backing Gaea, i am neutral. I have done enough for the gods and they have hurt me enough that I don't owe the gods anything. I can do what i please now. Do you even hear yourself? You are telling me that i should break my word and my honour, to betray the one who gave me back Annabeth and this nice house, to go back to them? How would i be any better than the opponent then? What is to stop me from breaking a promise to others? That is a slippery slope you want me to go down, and i dont think im going to. Plus, if i go back, Annabeth will be taken by Hades and Thanatos. I can't let that happen."

He stood up. "I think this conversation is over. Goodbye." With that the floor underneath the chairs disappeared and we fell, screaming, down the hole.

Percy POV

I smiled, knowing they would just have a very long slide all the way back to the bottom of the cliff. I turned to Annabeth. "You do realize that they won't give up." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Annabeth grinned.

"I know. I expect a few gods next time. I already have a ton of nasty surprise set up." She held up a few remotes and smirked evilly.

 **A/N Decided to update this one cause I haven't been paying it any attention. I am going to concentrate on finishing THIS then i will go back to taking turns for each story**


	7. Chapter 7 Oh Hades

**Please guys, review. Oh, and i cannot hold in my ideas anymore, there will be other stories appearing sometime over the next few days. Possibly as soon as a few hours from now. I know what i said, and i said what i meant, but apparently i didn't mean it, not 100%.**

Zeus POV

I waited as the three demigods we had sent returned and walked into the throne room. After the customary bowing and scraping, they stood up to tell us what happened. After informing us, the throne room was stunned into silence. "So you are saying that he refused to help and kicked you out?"

"Yes Lord Zeus."

I stood up in a rage. "Now what?" Nobody decided to answer immediately. After while Athena spoke up.

"The best course of action from here would be to go and talk to him ourselves. We need to be very careful not to push him on anything though. We cannot risk him helping the other side. If he did that..." She trailed off, leaving our imagination to fill in the rest.

"Everyone, get ready to go! We need to get Perseus and bring him back."

"Is that a good idea father? That would mean we all lose power for a while. I think we should only have a few gods that Percy is close to go to him, we stand a better chance of success that way."

"No!" Zeus boomed. "I refuse to have some members of this council stronger than others! You all will move against me while i am recovering! We are all going, and that is final."

"No." Everyone turned and stared at Poseidon and Hestia, who had both spoken at the same time. "I refuse to try to convince my son to do your bidding. I have never plotted to overthrow you. If i had, you would no longer be king. Do what you want, have a god stay to watch me, I don't care. But i will not do this." The god of the sea flashed out, leaving the rest of the council looking at an empty fishing chair.

Hestia stood up. She changed from her look as a child until she was a tall woman in her mid-twenties, with mousy brown hair and flaming eyes. "I too will not be a part of this. He has the right to react however he wishes. We took time out of his life, made him fight our battles, and even-" Here she gestured at Hera. "Killed his girlfriend. I may not like his choice, but i will not exert my influence on him." She strode out of the throne room and the massive doors closed behind her with a bang. There was silence for a few moments, as every one understood what they had said.

"Hecate!" I called out. The summoned goddess appeared in a flash of light, holding what looked like a two layer thick piece of cardboard with holes in it. The holes contained vials of smoking purple potion. She walked around, and handed one to every god in the room. Once she finished, she walked to the middle of the room. "I will transport everyone to the borders of Kodiak island after you all drink the potion. Good luck."

* * *

Percy and Annabeth had planned carefully. They were in a bowl in the earth, a natural dip, that was surrounded by hills and crags. They had all kinds of nasty surprises set up just in case the gods tried anything. They purposely allowed the gods to enter without interference. It was all part of the plan. The two were in lawn chairs, watching some of the wild animals on the plain, with a popcorn machine and snack bar nearby. Why popcorn? Percy said this could take awhile and he had no intention of going hungry. The two waited, with their backs towards where the gods would come. When they finally felt some presences show up nearby and come over the hill, Percy tossed a pouch to Annabeth. "I admit it. You won. I thought they would be back within the hour. You said about three, and you were almost right on the dot. Here you go, all fifteen drachmas." Annabeth took it and smirked.

"And that is why you never bet against me. I always win any game to do with mathematics, timing or angles."

Percy nodded, filing this information away for later. Then he called over his shoulder. "We know your there. Standing there silently doesn't help convince me. Lets hear your sales pitch. And it better be of higher quality than the last one was."

The gods moved so they could see him. "Perseus, i know your upset-" Hera began.

Percy held his hand out in her direction. "Talk to the hand bitch. I'm more than upset. I'm furious. You are lucky I did not join Gaea for what you did. Its not like i have a lack of offers from her."

Zeus strode forward, his hand raised with his master bolt firmly held. "No one talks to my wife like that! You will come back, now!"

Percy yawned, showing his contempt. "Uh huh. And whatcha gonna do if i say no? And I do say no, by the way."

Zeus smirked. "Then this." At his hand signal, Ares flew forward and held the point of his sword to Annabeth's throat. "Now, you will come back and be loyal to Olympus."

Percy slowly stood up and turned around. The other gods watched in horror as the negations took a horrible turn thirty seconds in. As he faced the gods, they were shocked by the aura surrounding them. His eyes were pits of green flame, and his entire body glowed. The sky darkened and the clouds rumbled, but this storm was not of Zeus' making. "YOU DARE!" He bellowed to the skies. "AFTER ALL I DID FOR YOU! THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME? YOU WILL PAY!" He collapsed to one knee and shouted out loud. "GAEA, HELP ME!" Tendrils of earth shot out of the ground and slammed into Ares, sending him flying back into the dirt. A wall of earth formed in front of the two. Percy's voice continued to roll as loud as the thunder. "GAEA, I WISH TO JOIN YOUR ARMY."

A soft woman's voice answered him, seeming to emit from the ground around them. "Of course Perseus."

Percy turned and glared at the gods with such intensity of looks could kill they would all be six feet under. "YOU HAVE MADE AN ENEMY TODAY OLYMPUS. WHEN YOUR CHILDREN FALL TO GAEA, THEY WILL PRAY FOR A HERO TO SAVE THEM! AND HE WILL NOT COME!" This last sentence was shouted with such power that it made the ground rumble and the gods lost their balance. When they looked up, it was as if Percy and Annabeth had never existed. All of them had only one thought in their head. "Oh Hades. What have we done?"

 **A/N Oh Hades indeed. Lesson learned, do not ever threaten those close to Percy. (Looking at you Kronos and Gaea in canon) It tends to tick him off. And in this case, it was the last straw. Oh, a man was arrested the other day for standing up for his beliefs in saying there are only two sexes, and he was arrested and thrown in jail because of a "Racial degradation" to cross gender people. Please keep him in your thoughts. American society is going to hell in a hand basket.**


	8. Chapter 8 Someone fights back

**Okay guys, get this, i was doing some research and found that there is a goddess known as Thalia (Grace) are you serious? Seriously, look it up. She is on record as being one of the three graces, and a daughter of Zeus, who is in charge of banquets and a few other things. Mind blowing. And Kronos is Titan of the harvest. Does that mean he is an evil Demeter? Kind of like, have some poisoned cereal? Just something to ponder. Song I'm listening to "It's a great day to be alive" by Travis Tritt**

What to do. That seemed to be the main question that was being posed to the Olympians. Not only what Gaea rising, but she now had the most powerful demigod in existence on her side, and several gods on the council would most likely refuse to fight him. Poseidon because he was Percy's father. Hermes because he owed Percy for making his son a hero. Hestia because... well, just because. She didn't like fighting anyway, and she also owed Percy for her throne. Ditto for Hades. Apollo seemed to have taken a shine to the son of Poseidon. Athena... Was kind of a wildcard. She disagreed with Hera and Zeus' actions, considering it killed her favorite daughter. She had just come back, and it was unlikely she would move against her pride and joy. Though she did hate Perseus, and usually did what was necessary for Olympus to survive. Artemis was still stuck in her "All men are evil" ranting, so that is one. Ares and Zeus make three. Hephaestus and Aphrodite could swing either way. He didn't really have anything against him, and Aphrodite was already preparing the "OTP of the century!" article for the Olympus times. All this added up to extremely awkward and uncomfortable silence in the throne room. Finally it was broken by Hermes. "That went well."

Poseidon was the first to respond. "Yes, it did didn't it?" He asked, giving Zeus the gimlet eye. This ignited a firestorm of controversy and debate, as voices rose from around the room. Sides were drawn relatively quickly. Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Hermes, and Apollo on one side, and Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus and Aphrodite (Albeit under protest) Artemis, Dionysus, and Ares on the other. Athena and Demeter elected to stay out of it and effectively stayed neutral. Hermes got into a argument with Dionysus over the morality of the actions previously taken. Poseidon quickly grew tired of this and smacked the useless god of wine into a wall across the room with his trident. This caused Zeus to stand up in a rage.

"How dare you strike my son!" Instantly a sword and trident were under his chin.

"I advise you not to finish that sentence." Hades growled coldly. "You have done whatever you wanted and distributed punishments as you please for too long Zeus. He had it coming, and i would have done it myself if my brother hadn't beaten me to it. Get over it drama queen."

"How dare you call me that!"

"It is funny. And it makes the reader think of how useless you are." He muttered the last bit under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Never mind. Anyway, too bad for you. You actually start making the right moves immediately, and maybe I reconsider helping you in this war. If this does not happen, well... Let us just say that I am sure Gaea has room in her army for a few more."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me. And if you try to stop him, I hope you think you can take the two of us, because I will be going with him." Poseidon stated, glaring at him. "Now drop the subject, and lets get on with worrying how to survive this war."

"I want a preemptive strike." Ares called from his throne. "It would be best to get rid of Jackson as soon as we can, otherwise, he will only get stronger."

Poseidon's stare switched to the incumbent god of war. "We are not going to launch an attack on my son."

"And why not? He may have saved us before, but you can always father another demigod. They are expendable, that is the whole purpose of them. Now let us discuss how to kill him before we have to deal with those annoying demigods."

Hestia tentatively raised her hand. "Would now be a good time to mention that all the half bloods are present and listening?" The effect of whiplash on over a dozen super powerful beings was a bit amusing to watch.

"How much did you hear?" Aphrodite quietly asked.

Katie Gardener and the Stolls stepped forward at the same time, and chorused together. "Enough."

Demeter face palmed. "Of course. Could we have had worse timing? How much do you know about what has happened?"

Nico advanced a few steps, deciding to answer. "Very little. And I highly suggest you give us what we need to know before you find yourselves without any tools to work with." He growled, distaste clear in his voice.

Poseidon leaned forward. "Okay. Here is what happened. It all started when Queen Bitch over there decided to strike off on her own..." The faces of the demigods grew graver with every revealed tidbit. When he had finished with recapping the days events, Nico elected himself spokesman.

"Well. Way to go guys." He started clapping sarcastically. "You managed to piss off Gaea, _and_ killed our leading strategist, _and_ got rid of our leader and the most powerful demigod on the face of the earth." He shook his head, stunned at the incompetence. "We are so screwed. Nicely done. I for one will not be helping with the war effort."

"Why not?" Ares said in a dangerous tone of voice.

"Why not? _Why not!_ " Travis Stoll exclaimed. "Why not? Because why should we? Do you even hear yourselves? The only reason Percy fought for you was because you were the best of two horrible choices, not because you were the good guys. Percy was the one who cared for us, trained us, and protected us when you weren't there. When I was young, I was ridiculed. "Oh, another lousy Hermes kid." I was never great at sword fighting, or cooking, or singing, or forging. I was only good at stealing things. Then he helped me. And look at me now, head counselor. Sometimes, a kind deed can become very great indeed." He grew quiet. "I refuse to help with this. I will not act against him, I don't care what you say." Other campers came forward and stood by his side, including Malcolm, Nyssa, Clarisse, Chris, Clovis, his brother, half the Demeter cabin, a few Apollo kids, and a smattering of other campers as well.

"We stand with Travis. This is not right."

Zeus growled from his throne. "You dare defy Olympus? You will pay!" He hurled the master bolt at the group of brave demigods who stood their ground., There was an explosion, a flash of light, and then there was nothing left of them but a scorch mark on the floor. Zeus was instantly set upon by several angry gods, and that was the last thing the unseen watcher saw as he took his leave.

He shook his head, "I guess that was helpful. I get some of my friends back now. But I swear." Here his sea green eyes glowed with an inner flame. "Olympus will pay for this atrocity. I will tear it down, brick by brick."

 **Okay people. Here are my demands. I need a Greek trireme full of diet soda (pepsi, not coke) and four million in gold and jewels. Plus 53 or more reviews on MHC for me to update that story sooner. I REALLY want to tie or break my record. I will still update it, just slower. Yes, this is blackmail. Suck it up.**


	9. Chapter 9 Tartarus

**I'm sorry! Don't kill me! (Cowering in anti-angry reader bunker in the basement) I know I have not updated in a little while, but updates will be sporadic from here on out into the foreseeable future. As slow as it was, it is still a darn sight better than most FF authors. ALl right. Now, down to business. Yes, I did take that line from Kronos at the end of the last chapter. I thought it would kind of bring everything full circle. Also, did anyone notice that I based the speech from last chapter on a conversation Dionysus had with Percy? Also, I NEED a beta. Khaos Risen, I am sorry for forgetting to follow up on this. I need you to create a beta profile to send an official request. The other person who has agreed to help, (You know who you are and I am trying to avoid calling you out), as much as you have always been there and been willing to help from the beginning, I need you to start on your story soon, otherwise, I will be forced to look elsewhere temporarily until you are ready. Sorry if the fight scene is not up to par, I have no experience writing them. Song I am listening to right now, Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman.**

Meanwhile, at an unknown location deep inside Tartarus...

There was a brilliant flash of light and a distinct smell of ozone. A jumble of bodies poured out of what seemed to be empty space within a few seconds, resulting in a groaning heap of demigods. Clarisse was the first one to recover and get back up. "Ow. Did anyone get the number of that truck that hit me?"

Clovis (rather surprisingly) was the one who elected to answer. "I think" He said, yawning. "That Zeus has banished us to Tartarus. As Tartarus is monster home turf, we can probably be expected to be attacked any mom-" He was cut off by the snarling of a few dozen hellhounds who bounded over the nearest ridge.

Clarisse groaned. "Really Clovis? You had to jinx us?" Shaking her head, she refocused her thoughts. "Right. Okay then, which of you punks actually have weapons with you?" Tentative hands flew up. "And actually can use them to some effect?" She added as an afterthought. A few hands fell, but there were a few demigods who had some level of skill. "Right then. I need a Hermes kid to go sneak to the side and scout them out. Everybody else, anyone who has a close range weapon, which includes spears, move forward. Apollo kids and anyone else with bows or javelins got to the back and set up." She waited as the demigods shuffled into position slowly. "Sometime today, and five minutes ago if you can help it! We are about to be attacked!" She barked, and there was a noticeable increase in speed all around. "Good luck to you all. If we don't survive, it was nice knowing you." She turned and faced the onrushing enemy, her electric spear gleaming in her hand as she bounced on the balls of her feet. This was her element. What she was made for. It was also how she wanted to die. Going down fighting for a cause she believed in, fighting impossible odds after having stood up for what was right. Leading brave soldiers who shared her beliefs and made her proud. That was how she wanted to go, and Hades if it didn't look like she would get her wish.

The wave crashed against the hasty shield wall that had been erected under her direction. Spears and swords started to flicker through and over the gaps between demigods, and the monsters began to die. Yet it clearly was hopeless. As well as the demigods were holding out, they were being pushed back. Already, a few of the better fighters had been incapacitated and replaced in the front line. The casualties would only increase as weariness set in and the enemy numbers increased. She engaged what seemed to be the leader. It was huge, the size of a saint bernard, and looked vicious. She thrust her spear forward and impaled the hound, whose beady red eyes flickered but kept charging, even with a spear in him, throwing himself further against the point to get to her. Clarisse stumbled back in disbelief, barely managing to keep her footing. She had never seen a beast take a wound this grievous and continue. That was when it came. Like a miracle sent from the sky, a huge, black shafted arrow arced out of nowhere and slammed into the side of the monster with a meaty smack. It was quickly joined by a half dozen others, all of them within a handsbreath of each other. Finally, the relentless pursuit faltered and the hellhound sank to his knees. Clarisse stepped back for a second and surveyed the area for the archer. She knew it wasn't an apollo kid, it was the wrong colour. Then she saw him. A man outlined against the horizon, about two hundred yards away. The only reason she saw him was the flicker of his black cloak as he unleashed another volley, all of them striking monsters who were attacking vulnerable demigods. The relief at seeing they had help quickly faded as she was blindsided and sent sprawling onto the ground. Her spear clattered away as she looked, resigned, up into the jaws of death.

She had experienced a nice run. Fought her fair share of monsters, completed quests. And now she was going to die in the bottomless pit of Tartarus, killed by a hellhound. But Hades if she was going down easily. She thrust her hands forward in desperation, gripping the side of the hellhound mouth and attempting to hold it off. It was a struggle, as she was in a poor position to grapple with it, and for a few seconds the only sound was growling from the throat of the beast and the laboured breath from the leader of the Ares cabin. Then it bit down on her left hand and she winced. That was all the opening required, as the sharp teeth lunged forward towards her now vulnerable throat. There was a flicker of movement, and the hellhound slumped forward lifeless as the life faded from its eyes. She watched, awestruck, as the black cloaked man leaped to his feet. He had slid _under_ the beast and raked a knife across its belly, killing it instantly. Who had he even gotten here so fast? He was so far away, he must have had incredible speed. He wheeled and threw the knife in his left hand, sending it through the side of a dracena who was standing over chris. He slid the other back into some kind of sheath and unslung his bow. He got two arrows off before more monsters surged towards him, all of them correctly identifying this man as the biggest threat. He pulled out his next arrow, and lunged, using it as an offensive weapon, killing another hellhound. He launched the arrow into the upper arm of a laistrygonian giant. He spun and used the limbs of the bow to block, before slashing with the lower end of the bow, which had a blade on the end. He hurled the bow into the face of a cyclops as a distraction before spinning in a circle. Steel flashed in the dim light and the body dissolved, now headless. She hadn't even seen him draw his knives. She heard growling and looked over her shoulder. A hell hound, looking for an easier target and recognizing she was weaponless, threw itself at her. She turned desperately. "Throw me a knife."

She saw him turn his head quickly. "Are you crazy? Why would I give you a weapon?" He threw one knife, launched a haymaker with his right hand, then spun and, without looking in her direction, launched the other knife on a no look curving trajectory. It whistled so close to her head it cut off a lock of her hair in its passing. It embedded between the eyes of the oncoming monster. A perfect shot. As it dissolved into dust, she stared, awestruck, at him.

"How?" She stopped talking, speechless. As good as Percy was, whoever this man was, he was on a completely different level. She had never seen someone with his reflexes.

He turned. "How? That is a ques-" He was cut off as he threw himself to the ground and landed in push up position, before pushing off with his hands and slamming his ascending booted feet into the belly of the hellhound that snuck up on him. The hellhound gave a wail and dissipated. He got up and brushed himself off. "As I was saying, what is time but motion? What is motion but heat? And are not heat and energy but different names for the same thing? When you understand the implications of that, you'll understand how and what I did. All the monsters within a several mile radius will be coming at you. Beware the hellhound riders. I will lead them off. You must go north, where you will find more help." He whistled and a sledge pulled up, pulled by dou of good sized foxes.

She stared, confused. "Foxes can't out run hell hounds?"

He chuckled." These are Teumessian foxes. I would like to see them try." Then he jumped on and prepared to leave, she interjected.

"Wait! Who are you?"

He gave her a wry look from under the edge of his cowl. "If you must cal me by my code name. Call me Zero." He then gave a sharp verbal command. As the foxes dashed away at a incredible speed, dust rose from his passing. A few second later, it settled and the man was gone. It was as if he had never existed.


	10. Chapter 10 New Recruits

Clarisse led the other demigods towards the north, as instructed. It wasn't easy by any means. They were in Tartarus after all. They had been marching for hours as the terrain remained mostly unchanged. They had been forced to deal with the occasional monster attacks, but the mysterious man had seemed to draw most of them away. They crested a hill and stared at the sight below. A few miles away in a valley was what seemed to be a piece of the outside world. A mansion in the middle of a perfectly manicured lawn was in the middle, surrounded by a tent city. Oddly though, most of it seemed to be empty, though there did seem to be a good number of guards outside of it. That was when the howling began. Clarisse glanced back and saw a pack of hell hounds coursing over the crest of the hill behind them. She turned back to the other demigods and cursed under her breath. Too few of them were able to fight with any efficiency right now. Most of them had been wounded in the earlier fight and the few who hadn't had been worn down by both the trek and the atmosphere of Tartarus. That left her. Her cabin was normally like this, so she was not as affected by the draining surroundings. Her hand still hurt but she could still fight with a reasonable degree of efficiency. "All of you run towards that camp and get help. I will hold them off as long as possible."

Travis was the one who objected. "We can't just leave you here alone!"

"She won't be alone." Everyone turned and saw the man from earlier standing there silently. "I will be here as well. Hurry up you bunch. We cannot keep an eye on you while we are fighting. GO!" He roared the last bit and galvanized into action, the other demigods turned and started to run towards the distant haven. The man walked over to a nearby rock and sat down as the hell hound got closer. Clarisse glared at him.

"You're just going to sit there?"

The man smiled lazily. "My sources say you are a worthy demigod. Show me. Entertain me, demigod of Olympus. Give me a reason to do more. Being who I am has its privileges." He pulled out a Diet Pepsi from somewhere under his cloak, popped the top, and sat back.

Clarisse again cursed mentally. Prideful she may be, but she knew she could not hold nearly that many monsters off without help. She would be dead in minutes. The only hope was to put up a good enough fight that this stranger would help her. And fight she did. She used every trick she knew, performing her hardest, while occasionally glancing over at the cloaked figure to see if he was going to help. She only ever got a smile and a shake of the head in response. Eventually, inevitably, she was overwhelmed and forced to the ground. She closed her eyes, awaiting death. Suddenly the weight on her vanished and she felt something sprinkle over her. She opened her eyes in time to see the man snap his fingers as all the hell hounds burst into dust and dissolved. She stared at him angrily. "Why didn't you do that before?"

"I wanted to see if you had what it takes. I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. That was what I was testing. You fought against impossible odds, just to give your friends time to escape. That was worthy of respect, and that is why I stepped in." He walked over to her and offered a hand to help her up. "You were afraid yes, but that does not diminish your achievement. Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear."

She hesitated a moment before accepting the help. The man pulled her to her feet before dropping his hood. His sea green eyes and raven black hair immediately jumped out at her. "Percy." She breathed. Then she took a step forward and delivered a punch to his jaw, sending him reeling backwards. He regained his balance before feeling his jaw gently and chuckling lightly.

"I guess I deserved that."

"Yes. Yes you did. How were you that good with a bow?"

"Why would you choose to focus on that? Everything that has happened and you are concerned about my archery. Figures. Anyway, you didn't really think I was that bad did you?"

"Actually, I did."

"Huh. I guess it worked then. You don't shoot as poorly as I did without intentionally messing up. That takes real skill to be that bad. Anyway, lets go check on your companions." He snapped his fingers and they both vanished. When they reappeared in front of the other demigods Clarisse fell to her knees and clutched her stomach for a minute. That had been horrible. It felt like she had been squashed, shrunken, and then sucked through a straw before being reassembled.

"Sorry about that. I am not used to transporting other people. I will remember that next time."

"Jackson..."

"Shutting up now." He waved a hand at the running half-bloods, flagging them down. "Hey guys! Fancy meeting you down here of all places. What were the odds?"

"Perce?"

"In the flesh. I imagine you guys want to get out of here right? Let's talk more once we are inside." He snapped his fingers and the group was transported, but this time he was careful to twist reality around them, instead of them around reality. It made things so much easier on passengers. They reappeared inside the mansion, and Percy walked over and opened the fridge. "Anyone want a drink? I have Saint Arnold's root beer." Several hands flew up and Percy pulled out some cold drinks and tossed them to the thirsty demigods.

"Right. Now, I bet you all have questions." At the answering nods he took a seat on a nearby couch and gestured with his left hand. "Ask away." This sparked a massive amount of questions being asked at the same time. Percy waved his hand again. "One at a time please."

Travis went first. "What are you doing in Tartarus Percy?"

"Looking for you actually. Gaea controls the doors of death, so I can get you guys out of here easily. The gods did me a favor by casting you in here. Much simpler this way instead of having to spring a jailbreak."

A hand rose in the back and Percy pointed at him.

"Why are you working for Gaea? Isn't she evil?"

"I see it as less of her being evil and more of her disliking the gods. Extremely disliking them. That and her mind has been slightly twisted by her long isolation. Those stories about the caring mother earth were fact, she was like that once. Since I am opposing the gods, she is the other side, so it is only logical I help her. Also, I am trying to find a way to bring back her old personality before she does too much damage to anyone else outside of the gods. I do not want collateral damage. That is more easily achieved if I am on her side and have some influence."

Conner was next. "We showed up at the council a little late to get all the details on why you are fighting for Gaea. Could you tell us the whole story?"

"I could, but I do not have forever. Here is the short version. Hera killed Annabeth. I made a deal with Gaea to get her back in exchange for me being neutral. That was the plan, and we were off minding our own business when the gods showed up. They tried to force me to go back on my word and held Annabeth hostage and said they would kill her if I refused to help. That was the last straw. I called on Gaea to protect us. I pledged to support her on the condition that I could choose whether or not I actually fight in every battle. She gave me a rather high position in her army actually as a bonus. Not that I am complaining."

Ananbeth strolled into the room and sat next to Percy before snuggling into him. "By which you mean you control a good portion of the army as well as a spot on the council."

"True. But I was trying not to brag. Anyway, now that you guys know the whole story, it is time for you all to make a decision. I can get you out to the surface, but from there you are on your own. Or, you can join me and serve under me. You would not have to fight the other demigods if you don't want to. Take the time to talk it over if you want. Personally, I would not want to go back to a bunch of squabbling babies with superpowers that tried to kill all of you."

The demigods went into a huddle and the deliberation was rather quick. Clarisse poked her head up, as she had proclaimed herself spokeswoman. "We're in."

 **This is a Clarisse version of Thalia's last stand. Saint Arnold's root beer is probably my favorite drink. Sorry for neglecting this story lately, MOE had a lot of inspiration, and I like to get off to a fast start on a new story. Action in MHC will probably pick up more. Oh, and the answer to the Christmas question via review will be answered here and in the next chapter.**

 _Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ but they already know that the Greek and Roman Gods are real so why are they celebrating Christmas?_

 **The answer to this is twofold. First, while I may write about gods in PJO stories, I am a Catholic, and so Christmas is important to me. Plus, I have a feeling CHB has a Christmas celebration. otherwise they would not have Easter or Thanksgiving as well, and I cannot see Demigods passing up a feast, an egg hunt for candy, and free presents. Also, Chloe is a little girl, and Percy and Zoe would like to see her as happy as possible.**


End file.
